Ready for the weekend...

Hall of Fame baketball player Frank Ramsey lost just about everything this past week after the tornado hit his home. My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family.

Hall of Fame member Frank Ramsey, a former All-American at Kentucky who went on to play with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s and 1960s, was among those whose homes were destroyed by tornadoes that swept through western Kentucky on Tuesday.

"Had I been sitting watching TV, I would have been gone," Ramsey told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "I don't know if I would have been dead or not, but I certainly would have been swept off."[...]

When the winds died down, the fireplace and closet were all that remained, he said.

Ramsey, who is staying with family members, said his trophies are missing and walls of photos have disappeared. Only one plaque remained from his basketball glory days.

A.J. Burnett will only accept an offer if the club will give him at least five years.

Way to go, John McCain!

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a former Navy pilot who was imprisoned and tortured in North Vietnam, pushed the Senate into a 90-9 vote banning inhumane and degrading treatment of detainees, over Cheney's strong objections. Joining McCain were Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a colonel in the Air Force Reserves and a military lawyer, and Sen. John Warner, R-Va., a Marine veteran and secretary of the Navy during the Vietnam War.

The stands for and against the war still fall generally along Republican and Democratic lines. But Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, the lone Republican in the House of Representatives to call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, said the role played by former military men put the war "in a different environment for debate."

Murtha already had been leading an effort to win House support for McCain's anti-torture language. But his hard-hitting, very public defiance of the administration was out of character for a lawmaker who prefers to work in the quiet corners of the House chamber rather than in the glare of TV lights.

Eliot Spitzer's campaign sent out an email to their supporters highlighting environmentalists who support his candidacy for New York's governorship. Some of the notable names on the list follow:

Actor Chevy Chase, Scientist Barry Commoner, Actress Blythe Danner Paltrow, Activist Laurie David, Love Canal Activist Lois Gibbs, Earth Day Founder Denis Hayes, Activist Robert Kennedy Jr., Pediatrician and Expert on Clean Air and Lead Poisoning Phil Landrigan, Global Warming Expert Bill McKibben, Singer Pete Seeger, 3 Former Executive Directors of Environmental Advocates: Larry Shapiro, Val Washington, Lee Wasserman

Citing Spitzer's record as Attorney General and his prospects for the future, Robert Kennedy Jr. said, "Eliot Spitzer's deep commitment to protecting the environment makes him an outstanding choice for Governor for citizens who want clean water, clean air and a safer future for their kids. Combating global warming, cleaning up the Hudson River and closing Indian Point are all issues that I know he will effectively address. I am honored to endorse Eliot Spitzer for Governor and cannot wait for him to take on the state's biggest pollution problems. If anyone can solve these issues, it's Eliot Spitzer."

I hope we see the day when Robert Kennedy, Jr. decides to seek office. I've been a supporter of that family for a long time and wish that we'd see some more Kennedy members in office. I support and endorse Eliot Spitzer for Governor of New York.

In other New York news, Steve Greenfield is planning to primary Senator Clinton. This could derail her attempt to run for president if he does beat her. I just found out about that, or I would have reported the news sooner. You may need to register in order to read that link.